Think of the biggest musicians in the world: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin. They have all won Grammys.
The 68th annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for Feb. 1, 2026. As of November, all nominations have been released.
Controversy has surrounded the awards in the past. Rumors of the awards being rigged have surfaced in the past decade. Some viewers have called them “racist” and “corrupt.” Many black artists, such as Frank Ocean, Drake and The Weeknd have boycotted the show. It has also received criticism from big artists such as Jay-Z and Ariana Grande.
Many changes have been made for the upcoming show in February. There are two new categories: “Best Traditional Country Album” and “Best Album Cover.”
There has also been a significant change in the nominees. In the past, there has been controversy surrounding the lack of nominations for people of color and more underground artists. Although wins are still up in the air, the diversity of nominees has improved.
In the past, there has also been controversy surrounding the bias towards popular artists. The nominee list for this year includes a variety of more underrepresented artists.
“I think it’s good that they are recognizing less popular people than the top artists on the charts. It gives a platform for other artists’ work to be honored,” senior Cailin Dorefice said.
Students are majorly affected by watching their favorite artists compete in specific categories.
“I am very excited about Billie (Eilish) getting nominated for record of the year. I’ve been a big fan for a long time, and I’m definitely rooting for her,” junior Emelia Marquis said on her anticipation for the Grammys this year.
“I really would love for Bad Bunny to win in either of his categories. His album is good, his songs are good, and he seems like a genuine and honest person who should succeed,” junior Alex Jackson said.
The Grammys can mean a lot to fans of artists, so the changes being made may affect students at State High. Whether it’s watching their idol win a category or seeing more diverse artists competing, the show always makes an impact.
Some of the biggest categories are album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. Album of the year nominees include big artists such as Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga. Lesser-known artists are also nominated, such as Clipse, Pusha T, Malice and Leon Thomas III. Record of the year nominations include new and old popular artists such as Bad Bunny, Doechii, Billie Eilish and ROSÉ.
Some song of the year nominations go to “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, “APT” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, and “Golden” from the hit Netflix original movie KPop Demon Hunters. “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish and “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter also received nominations from the academy. Best new artists nominations include Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, Sombr, The Marías and more.
Find the full list of nominations here.
